


Marichat May 2019

by Nalranelle



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Angst, F/M, Fluff, Identity Reveal, Marichat May, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-02
Updated: 2019-05-15
Packaged: 2020-02-15 21:41:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 7,768
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18677893
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nalranelle/pseuds/Nalranelle
Summary: Unconnected shorts using the tumblr prompts for Marichat May 2019 https://australet789.tumblr.com/post/183993376645/australet789-here-it-is-with-the-help-of-the. Probably fluffy, possibly angsty. Chapter names are going to be the prompt for that chapter.





	1. No Powers

**Author's Note:**

> Giving this a go. I haven't really done a lot of writing but figured it could be fun to try with the prompts.

Marinette looked at all the partygoers in horror. Of course there had been a catch. Chloe would never have _actually_ invited Marinette to a party without some strings. And of course it was a costume party. The nerve of that wretched girl. A few of the others had already seen her and waved so she couldn’t just leave without Chloe hearing that she had been here and there was no way she would give her that satisfaction. She could always try to lie about a costume, she could go for the whole “homicidal maniacs look just like everyone else” thing if it really came down to it. Hopefully it wouldn’t.

She made her way in, hoping to find the punch and some food and stay out of the way. The room was magnificent. Whoever Chloe had hired to decorate really had a sense of style, which unfortunately clashed a bit with the actual costumes. A fancy looking masquerade ball is not the place that one would expect to see someone in a blue unicorn onesie. But looking around at everything that _wasn’t_ one of her classmates almost let her stop feeling embarrassed.

On the other side of the room a fox turned and looked her way. Her mirth immediately cut off when she saw Marinette. The girl started marching in Marinette’s direction, face shifting from sadness to anger. _Oh shit, Alya?!_ Marinette did _not_ want to deal with her pity right now. Sure Alya would probably go and have some fairly pointed words with Chloe, but right now she just wanted to be alone. Grabbing her glass she quickly ran up some stairs, trying to make her way to a balcony that she had seen from outside.

Sighing, Marinette leaned on the railing and looked over the Parisian skyline. Her respite was brief, though, before she heard footsteps behind her.

“Alya, look, I appreciate it but I really don’t—” The man standing in the doorway was definitely not Alya. He was dressed in a black leather outfit with a domino mask and cat ears of all things. He grinned at her.

“Cat got your tongue?” His face became a bit more serious. “I hope I’m not disturbing you, though. I wasn’t expecting anyone else to be up here. Needed a break from the party, it was paws-itively claw-strophic down there and cats do like to be up high.” _Dear god_ , Marinette thought, _he seems entirely too pleased with his puns_. “May I join you?”

“I won’t stop you as long as you don’t try to drag me back there.”

He sauntered over to the railing and leaned backwards against it, closing his eyes. “Why would I drag you back? The way I see it, the best company at the party is right here.” Marinette blushed, turning away from him. “The city, I mean. Can’t see Paris from inside.” She shot him a look but he just opened one eye and smirked.

“What are you even supposed to be, anyway?” Marinette said. “You look more than a little silly.”

He stood up straight, mouth agape and one hand going to his chest. “Silly? Moi?! I’m Chat Noir, the super hero. You know, from the comics?” He posed ridiculously with one hand raised high like he was ready to claw something. He held the pose until Marinette started laughing.

“Purr-fect, you looked like you could use a good laugh.” Chat Noir put his hands down on the railing and looked out.

“I suppose I did.” Marinette wiped away a tear, still chuckling a little. “I had thought tonight would be quite a cat-astrophe after I got here. Chloe neglected to tell me it was a costume party.”

“Ouch. I’m sorry about that. She’s never been the nicest person. But—” he turned around quickly, “—who needs her?” Chat Noir bowed with a graceful flourish. “Besides I think that a princess can be dressed however she wants so you’re basically already in a costume.”

He extended his hand towards her, invitingly. “What do you say, Princess? Care to forget the rest of the party and give me the honor of this dance?”

Marinette over exaggeratedly curtsied and smiled warmly. “Tonight I would like nothing more.”


	2. Greek AU

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Judgement of Chat Noir. Hopefully it goes better for him than it did for Paris?

Marinette sat in the garden sketching, the sun’s warmth beating down from a cloudless sky. As far as she could care, for now, the rest of the world might as well not exist. Even a shadow passing over the sun didn’t disturb her work. At least, until the shadow started talking.

“Your drawings are simply meow-velous, Marinette!”

“Gah!” Marinette’s head jerked up and she fell backwards into Chat Noir. “We’ve talked about this before, you’re not supposed to sneak up on civilians, Chat.”

“I know, but you were so focused. And what can I say?” He shrugged, one hand behind his back. “Cat’s  _ are  _ known for stepping pretty lightly.”

He became ever so slightly more serious, ignoring her reproving look. “Anyway, I stopped by for a reason. I wanted to give you a gift.” From behind his back he produced a stunning golden apple and handed it to her.

Marinette took the apple and looked it over. “Where did you get this?” She asked slowly. “I’ve never heard of an apple like this before. And why does it say ‘To The Fairest’ on it?” She pointed to the inscription.

“Well, that’s kind of a long story. You see, a group of three woman just walked up to me and told me that I was supposed to pick who got the apple. I asked what I was supposed to judge them on and one of them said it was to be given to the fairest in all of Greece. So here I am!” He smiled at her.

“Uh-huh,” Marinette said. “And just who exactly were these three women with this unearthly apple?” She had her suspicions but she needed a bit more proof.

“Didn’t catch their names but they looked like them.” Chat pointed at three very pissed off women beginning to approach them.

Marinette blanched. “Oh sweet Olympus. Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite. Chat, those are gods. I appreciate the gift.” She held up the apple. “But there are some people that you shouldn’t upset.”

“But I couldn’t lie to them. They said the apple goes to the fairest woman in all of Greece so I brought it to you.” He did not seem to grasp the situation he had created for himself. Her dumb, sweet, honest Chat.

“And I love you for that.” Marinette gave him a small push. “But for now you need to run. Fast.”

Chat ran and Marinette turned to meet the onslaught. In the distance Eris laughed.


	3. Kittens

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chat Noir shows up one rainy night with a surprise for Marinette.

Marinette stretched and let out a sigh of relief. She’d finally finished the outfit she was working on, still with a fair amount of time before it was needed. Gabriel Agreste had commissioned her to make an outfit for Adrien to wear at Gabriel’s next charity ball. Well, Adrien had apparently spent quite a while convincing his father. But this was a good way to impress the fashion mogul. If she could manage to get a job at Gabriel then she’d be able to see Adrien every day again. Marinette looked out her window at the late night. She’d sleep well after finishing her work and the sound of rain always calmed her down.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a knocking on the window. Chat Noir waved when he saw she was looking his way. Lightning flashed and he protectively covered some kind of bag slung in front of him. She ran over to the window and ushered him inside.

“Thanks, Princess.” Chat Noir shivered. “The rain was a bit unexpected but I guess it could be worse. It could be raining dogs as well as cats.” He grinned. And then sneezed. “You wouldn’t happen to have a couple towels, would you? I deal with rain even worse transformed than I do normally.”

“Of course. I’ll run downstairs and grab some. You just stay there and try to keep warm.” He meowed in a much higher pitch than she had ever heard Chat make. He coughed a bit and blushed.

“You’re a lifesaver. I’ll try not to drip on too much here.”

Marinette went downstairs and grabbed a few fluffy towels. She also made some hot cocoa and nicked a few macarons. They were made this morning, or maybe yesterday depending on the actual time, in the bakery so they couldn’t be sold anyway. She came back upstairs to see Chat looking closely at Adrien’s outfit. Was he shushing it?

“This is really nice, Marinette. I’m sure whoever it’s for is going to be very happy with it.” He took the towel she offered and began drying off.

“It’s for an old classmate of mine, Adrien Agreste. Hopefully his father feels the same way you do about it.”

“If he has any taste then he definitely will. You were always good but you’ve gotten so much better over the years.”

“Thank you, Chat, I appreciate the compliments and you may continue to praise me later. But right now it feels like you’re trying to butter me up.” She looked at him with squinted eyes. “Why are you here this late? Is everything okay?”

He avoided eye contact and scratched the back of his head. “Well...I know how kind you are and how you helped out _this_ stray cat when I needed it.” There was that same little meow again. His words started to flow together much more. “My father would never let me keep her and I figured I could ask you?” He reached into his bag and pulled out a kitten. “I would have tried a different route but it started to rain and she’s so small I just couldn’t leave her outside. I only found her the other day but I’ve been bringing her food and she’s absolutely sweet.”

“Chat, I’m sorry but I can’t. I’d need to talk to my parents about it and taking care of an animal is a lot of responsibility.” He had the audacity to pout his lips and look up at her with his kitty cat eyes.

“ _My name’s Éclair. Please take care of me, Marinette._ ” Chat held the kitten in front of his face as he spoke with a high voice. He brought her closer to Marinette. Éclair started licking her face.

Marinette sighed. “Come here sweetie.” She took the kitten from Chat’s hands and cuddled her. Both of her cats started to purr.


	4. Birthday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette brings Adrien to try to find the perfect birthday present for Chat Noir.

“Okay, Adrien. I’ve gathered you here for an important task.” Marinette looked at him with determination. “Today we go shopping for a birthday present!” She turned and pointed to the street lined with shops.

“Looks like they’re someone pretty special to have you fired up this way, Marinette. Who’s the lucky person? I thought Alya’s birthday was a couple months ago.” Adrien began wracking his brain trying to figure out which classmate he could be forgetting. He was pretty sure that the only one with a birthday coming up was—

She looked away and rubbed the back of her neck. “Well, it’s a little embarrassing, but I heard that it was Chat Noir’s birthday soon. He’s helped me out a bunch of times so I thought it would be nice. I thought about baking something but I don’t have a good way to make sure it gets to him before it goes bad, plus I’m not sure what he likes. I figured we could go around and look for ideas!”

He was glad to hear that Marinette thought so highly of him. Well, not  _ him _ him, but still. Adrien didn’t get a close look at what people thought Chat Noir liked all that often, so this could be fun. And he could always push her towards things that he might like more. Of course, any gift from Marinette was bound to be thoughtful even without his input.

“I would have thought that you’d make something for him. I still love that cardigan you gave me last year.”

“I figured we could do some window shopping. See if anything sparks a good idea. Then maybe we could go get whatever I need to start working on it. Any ideas on where to start?”

The two of them went around to a few clothing stores, Marinette asking Adrien to model some pieces for her so she could see someone wearing them. A few times one of the clerks at a store recognized who he was, but thankfully after an autograph and a picture the two of them were left to their business. Eventually Marinette pointed out a cute little jewelry store.

“I have a pretty good idea of what I’d like to make now but there’s one more thing I’d like to look for. Do you mind if we stop in there for a minute?”

“Sure thing. I have all of today off from classes and photoshoots and everything. We can do anything you’d like.” What kind of jewelry would she be trying to find for Chat Noir, though?

Marinette made a beeline for one of the display cases with necklaces and started talking to the clerk. He pulled out the few that she pointed to and while she was distracted looking at them he winked at Adrien. She happily exclaimed that one of them was perfect, bought it, and thanked the clerk.

“I couldn’t see what you were looking at very well. What’d you get?” Adrien tried to peer at the bag she was holding.

She blushed. “Oh, um, I got a locket. I thought that it would be nice to be able to carry around a picture of someone you care about while doing all that superhero stuff. I needed to find one that could be hidden well in his suit so that an akuma couldn’t see it. It would be terrible if Hawkmoth found out who Chat Noir cared for.”

Adrien smiled warmly. “That’s so sweet, Marinette. I’m sure he’ll be thrilled with your present.”

The two continued chatting and decided to grab some lunch at a cafe a bit down the street. When they sat down to eat a thought crossed Adrien’s mind.

“Hey, I was curious. How  _ did _ you find out when Chat Noir’s birthday was?” He was pretty sure that the only one he’d told was Ladybug, but maybe he was just forgetting something.

“Uh, I read it on the Ladyblog. Yeah. Alya must have found out somehow. Ha ha ha.” Marinette was never a convincing liar. And Adrien read the Ladyblog religiously, always trying to find out anything more he could about Ladybug. Alya never said anything about his birthday.

“I don’t remember reading about that.” Adrien decided to take a risk. There had been enough small moments over the years that  _ might _ be explainable with what he was thinking. “Only one person knows Chat Noir’s birthday, My Lady.”

“ _ Chaton?!” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been having a lot more fun with these prompts than I thought I would. Thank you for all the kudos and for the comments!


	5. Cooking/Baking

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chat Noir asks Marinette for help baking some cookies.

Marinette looked at the box that Chat Noir held out to her. “I’m sure that the cookies are delicious, Chat. Everybody loves chocolate!” She grabbed one and brought it up to her mouth.

“They’re not chocolate, Marinette. I...may have left them in the oven a little long? That might not be the only thing wrong, though.”

She lowered her hand, thankful she hadn’t yet taken a bite. “Oh dear. If I wasn’t so horrified I think I’d be impressed.” He wilted at the words. In fact, it looked like the cat ears of his costume drooped. Marinette didn’t think that should be possible, but magic superhero costumes could function however they wanted. She should try asking Tikki what kinds of things Ladybug’s outfit would respond to.

“I found this recipe at home.” He pulled out a card with elegant handwriting on it. “I think my mother wrote it. I thought that it would be nice to make them for Father’s Day as a present. I’m a pretty good cook, if I do say so myself, but I’ve always had a little bit of trouble with baking. And then I thought ‘Hey, who do I know that knows how to bake?’” He smiled at her but it didn’t reach his eyes. He rarely talked about either of his parents, and bringing up his mother always seemed to sadden him.

“Chat, of course I’ll help you make them. It’ll be fun! I remember you saying that you enjoyed your science classes in school. Just think of baking as chemistry where you get to eat the result! Although you’d think if that were the case I’d be better at the class. Come on.”

Marinette brought Chat into the kitchen and they got started. After barely any messes and only one near disaster, when Marinette’s cat decided to investigate one of the bowls, the two of them sat at the table near a tray of cooling cookies. Chat held one up in his clawed hand and looked at it closely. He sniffed it like an actual cat and then took a bite. He closed his eyes and beamed at Marinette.

“It tastes exactly like mother’s! Thank you, Marinette. It all makes so much sense when you explain things.”  
Color flooded Marinette’s cheeks. “That’s just because you’re a quick learner. And a good listener when you actually decide to focus.”

Chat Noir flashed one of his trademarked smirks. “When I’m with you, Princess, I’m always focused.” He jumped up. “Now, why don’t we bring some of these down to your parents while they’re still warm? We made a bunch more than my father will be able to eat.”

“I think they’d like that.” Marinette smiled warmly. “Let’s go!”

They grabbed a plate of cookies and headed downstairs to the bakery. After they left the kitchen, Tikki snuck over to the tray and tried one. Maybe two.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As I post this it is still technically the 5th. Haven't fallen behind yet!


	6. Adoption/Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ladybug and Chat Noir finally stopped Hawkmoth, but the cost was high. Together they address some of the ramifications.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is pretty angsty. Given how fluffy the others were I thought I should let people know. I'm working on catching up on the prompts, too, but that might take a bit.

Ladybug and Chat Noir attended every single one of the funerals. They always stood silently in the back, watching as their friends and family mourned. Each one was another blow. Her black armband felt like an enormous weight, always pulling her deeper into her guilt.

Chat somehow managed to take the events even harder than herself. The discovery of Hawkmoth’s identity, knowing that his own father caused all of this, hit Adrien hard. He hadn’t even attended Gabriel’s funeral as a civilian. In fact, Marinette wasn’t sure that she’d even seen him outside of his transformation since it all started. They’d need to talk about that. People were beginning to ask questions about Adrien Agreste’s whereabouts.

The two left quickly after the service finished. She’d had enough of family members coming up to her after a service and thanking her for everything she did.  _ Thanking _ her, like their pain wasn’t because she wasn’t good enough. Because she could get her Miraculous Cure to fix so much, but this was apparently beyond even its power. Tikki hadn’t been able to explain that.

They walked, still in silence, a fair distance to a secluded area. Neither had the desire to fly through the Parisian sky. It was too easy to be seen and Marinette wanted to give the people few reasons to notice the super powered duo.

“Tikki, spots off.” The usual glow surrounded Marinette and Tikki flew up to hug her. She smiled down sadly at the kwami.

“It still feels wrong to see you transform, Princess.” He kept calling her by that name whenever she was untransformed. She liked it. It grounded her just a little bit, made her feel like not everything was turned on its head.

“I can’t say the same. Have you gone back to normal yet, Adrien?”

“Adrien Agreste is dead, just like his father.” He looked at her, voice beginning to shake. “People look at me with such accusing eyes and  _ we’re _ the ones that finally managed to put a stop to things. Can you imagine how they’d look at  _ Adrien _ ?  _ Hawkmoth’s _ son?” Adrien’s voice rose. She was glad that they found a hidden area for her to transform so nobody else could hear him. Her poor Chaton.

Marinette grabbed Chat’s face and looked him in the eyes. “They would know that Adrien had nothing to do with his father’s plans. He’s just as much a victim as everyone else in Paris.” She poked him hard in the chest. “Anyone who says differently can answer to  _ me _ .” She thought that she could see the ghost of one of Chat’s trademark grins but if it was there it was gone just as quickly.

He took her remaining hand from his face and held it. “Nobody would want to be on that end of your wrath, Princess. On either side of the mask. But I don’t think I can keep talking about this now. Do you think we can just go home for now?”

“Alright, Chaton, but don’t think for a second that we won’t talk about this later.”

“I promise we can talk another time.  _ Claws _ my heart and hope to die.” She had to admit that it was one of his weaker pun attempts, but just the fact that trying brought him closer to his old self made her smile.

The walk back to Marinette’s house passed too quickly. “I’m home!” Marinette greeted the empty bakery. Her only response was the distinct absence of the smell of good baking. Habits die hard.

They walked upstairs and parted ways, Chat staying in the kitchen to start dinner and Marinette heading to her room. The first few minutes after coming back were always the hardest.

Tomorrow was going to be the most difficult of any of the funerals, for too many reasons. It would be the only one that Ladybug didn’t show up at. But Ladybug and Marinette couldn’t both be there for Tom and Sabine.

Chat Noir came upstairs to see Marinette sitting on her bed and hugging her knees. He put a tray on her desk, sat down next to her, and rubbed her back. “Princess…”

Marinette kept her face hidden. Her voice hitched. “I never told them the truth about me. I don’t even know if they heard me calling out. If they died still trying to figure out where their daughter was, not knowing that I was the one reaching out to them.”

She felt his arms wrap around her. “They knew that their daughter was one of the most resourceful, intelligent people in Paris. They knew that no matter what there was no way that you were in trouble. More importantly, they knew that you were one of the people working to help as many others as possible. So many more people would have been hurt if you hadn’t been there, as Marinette or as Ladybug. Your parents knew that.”

Marinette breathed deeply. “Thank you for that.” She looked up, eyes still red. “I think I’m okay for now.”

“That’s what matters. We’ll take the future as it comes, together.” Chat gave her a playful little push and smiled warmly. “After all, we’re partners. Plus, I have nowhere else to go and you wouldn’t let this cat be a stray, would you? I’d be bound to get up to some trouble.”


	7. Roommates

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chat Noir wakes up Marinette because of some late night, cat-like antics.

_ Thump thump thump _

Marinette kept her eyes closed tightly. She was just dreaming. Nothing going on outside her room, just normal night things. She would wake up fully rested in the morning and all would be well.

_ Thump thump thump. Crash! _

She groaned and threw the nice, warm, inviting blankets off herself. Her hazy, sleep-addled mind cleared quickly through her anger as she stormed out of her room. A pile of books lay in front of bookcase which wobbled precariously. The books cowered under Marinette’s withering stare.

“Chat! What is going on?”

The books mumbled in response.

“Oh my god, get out of there.” She reached into the books and pulled Chat Noir out by his belt, yanking harder than was strictly necessary. “It’s...what time is it?” Marinette checked her wrist just as she realized that it was on her nightstand. She looked around, finally settling on a clock. “Four in the morning. Of course it is. You know I need to be in the office early tomorrow because of that deadline coming up.” She tried to take a calming breath. “What were you even doing?”

Chat attempted to look chastened, but Marinette didn’t buy it. “Well, I may have had a little too much coffee a little too late in the day. I felt too restless to fall asleep.” Her expression hardened. “I  _ did _ try! You’ll notice that this didn’t happen at 2 when I first realized I was having trouble.” He looked proud that he had the sense of restraint to wake her up 2 hours before she needed to get up for work instead of 4. How kind.

“You’re telling me,” Marinette began slowly, “that woke me up early and crashed our books to the ground. Because you. Had. The. Zoomies.” She punctuated her words with a jab to his chest.

“Yes?” He smiled back at her.

Marinette threw her hands in the air. “Clean this up. That should use the rest of your energy. I’m going back to bed to salvage what little is left of the night. And next time? Just go for a walk outside.”

As she fell back to sleep, Marinette could hear Alya’s laughter when she told her about what happened today.


	8. Mittens for Kittens

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette makes some Chat Noir themed winter gear.

A hand gently touched Marinette’s shoulder and a shadow fell across her yarn. “What are you working on over there, Princess?”

“Well,  _ your _ daughter said this morning that she wanted to be Chat Noir, just like her father. Since it’s still winter, though, and the fact that your normal outfit would be far too cold without magic, I thought she might like a more winter friendly costume.” She moved a ball of black yarn off of her sketchpad. On the page were designs for a Chat Noir winter hat, coat, and mittens.

“Wait a minute, I recognize those mittens.” He picked up the book while Marinette started back up her knitting. “Didn’t you give those to me as a Christmas present years ago? They were wonderful.”

“They would still be wonderful if you hadn’t forgotten you were wearing them and used your Cataclysm, my dear Chaton. You should have seen my face when I heard you start to say it. Tikki told me afterwards that she could hear my heart break a little bit.” She pat his hand and looked up into his bright green eyes. “Would you like a new pair too? I’m sure Emilie would like to match.”

“I’d love that.” He leaned down and kissed the top of Marinette’s head. “Thank you, Princess.”


	9. Ice Skating

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette gets some skating lessons from a certain cat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swapped this chapter and Victorian AU to keep them in line with the prompts.

“You’ve got this, Marinette! You were skating before no problem!” Tikki whispered words of encouragement to her. Unfortunately, words of encouragement were not as useful as magic for keeping her coordinated. As soon as she was just far enough from the wall that she couldn’t grab it, she fell. Again.

“Ouch! Are you sure I can’t just do this transformed? I’m sure Adrien would be happy with Ladybug as his partner for the competition.” Marinette could practically hear Tikki’s disapproving look. She tried to pull herself back to her feet and fell forward.

“Well, Princess, perhaps I could be of some use?” A black gloved hand reached down in front of her. She grabbed it and was pulled back to her feet into Chat Noir’s arms.

“What brings you here, Chat? I haven’t heard anything about an akuma around here.” She had purposefully picked a time when there was not likely to be many people at the rink, although it had become a more popular location recently. Apparently people wanted to practice skating if at any moment the city of Paris could be covered in ice.

“I was just doing my normal patrol when I heard a distressed cry of a young maiden.” He placed his hand over his heart. “I had to investigate and lo what did I discover but my princess in need of help.”

“Oh, ha ha, very funny.” Marinette slowly made her way to the wall, holding onto Chat’s arm for support. Once she got there she turned and crossed her arms. “If you must know, my school is holding tryouts for an ice skating race. I’m pretty sure my friend Adrien is going to be part of it and I thought it would be fun to do it too. But, as you could see, I can barely keep my balance. Let alone race.”

“Why don’t I teach you? You said yourself that there isn’t an akuma around. And if one does show up somewhere then I can still get there quick. Until then we can practice.” Chat Noir smirked at her. “By the time we’re done, Princess, Adrien won’t stand a chance against you. Besides, I still owe you for helping me with those cookies.”

“I don’t think I’m as bad at skating as you were at baking before we started,” Marinette laughed. “But personal lessons from one of Paris’s favorite heroes? That sounds nice. Thank you.”

Marinette took Chat’s outstretched hand and went out farther onto the ice. By the time she needed to leave she could keep up a decent pace.  And she barely fell down at all.


	10. Victorian AU

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chat Noir stops by to let a certain baker know that he will be leaving the city for some time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Technically this is a Regency AU, but I felt it was close enough to the spirit of the prompt. This used to be Chapter 9. I swapped it and Ice Skating to keep them in line with the prompt list.

It was a drab day. Worse than that was that few customers made their way into the bakery to break up the monotony. Marinette supposed that few people wished to take the chance that their goods would be rained on, as the air had that oppressive feeling. If no one had shown up she may have been able to convince her parents to allow her to retire to her own devices. She was particularly fond of the had she was working on. There was even that particular ribbon which she may be able to use in it. That would be wonderful, she had found it ages ago in a cute little shop but it had proven to be uniquely difficult to find a good use for.

The door opened and a dark clad figure entered. He meandered around the small bakery, a grin gracing his face as he smelled the fresh bread. Eventually he made his way to the counter and placed his hand near to Marinette’s and then coughed loudly. This startled her, as lost in her thoughts as she was.

“I’m terribly sorry, Sir. What can I...Mr Chat Noir? What brings you to our bakery?” He looked far too pleased with how distracted she had been. The man could be insufferable about certain things.

“Fighting crime is hungry work, wouldn’t you say, Princess?” He shrugged. “And I wanted to make sure to have some of your wonderful desserts since I might not be able to for a while soon.”

Chat Noir’s departure was news to Marinette. She hoped that he intended to tell his partner about such plans, although it had been a week or so since the last time she had been together with him as Ladybug. Even after all these years they needed to keep their identities secret.

“You’re traveling? I hadn’t heard of that yet.” Such a thing would be the talk of the town, at least for a few days. More if his destination was a secret. Everyone would claim they knew because of an close personal relationship with the man.

His face flushed slightly. “Well, it’s a fairly recent development. And my exact whereabouts are not something I can speak of with most people.” He took her hand. “We’ve discussed before that you know Ladybug. I fear that my schedule will not allow for me to relay my message to her before I must leave and was hoping you might be able to convey it.”

Gone was the usual flippant demeanor that Chat gave off. Something truly serious had happened to make him act like this.

“I will do what I can to convey your message, certainly. Are you in some kind of trouble? Your identity is still unknown, isn’t it? I know that inspector is determined, but he always seemed rather incompetent to me.”

Chat laughed. “Nothing like that.” Again he grew more serious. “This morning I met with the Prince Regent, personally. It sounds like the war is going less well than the papers report. I’m told that Lord Wellington himself asked that I be brought down to assist in the effort, after he had heard of the exploits of Ladybug and myself.”

Marinette’s face grew red with anger. “Just you? Why was Ladybug not included in these secret schemes?”

“I’m sorry, Ms Dupain-Cheng, it was not my decision to make. And truth be told I agree that the most effective action would have been for both of us to go together. I’m sure Napoleon would be quaking in his boots if he heard that the two of us were coming for him. Unfortunately, the Prince Regent is of the opinion that a woman, no matter how competent she has shown herself to be in London, should be sent to Portugal.” He pulled his hat from his head and held it in front of himself, no longer meeting Marinette’s eyes. “And truth be told I’m worried what would happen to the city if she were not around to protect it. I am much more expendable.”

“Is that how you see yourself? Expendable?” Her anger deepened. This was her friend, her partner, standing before her and telling her that he didn’t matter. “There are any number of occasions where Ladybug would have failed had it not been for you.” Marinette realized that she was leaning farther over the counter than was proper. She coughed. “Or so it has seemed to me from speaking with her and reading the papers.”

Her partner’s eyes glistened with unshed tears. “I am glad you think so highly of me, Princess.” He grinned his cheshire cat grin. “Had I not known better I would say you have feelings for me.” With a flourish he put his hat back on his head. “With my help the war should be over soon which means I shall be able to return and see both Ladybug and yourself. I couldn’t live with myself if I never had a chance to eat your wonderful bread again.” He turned to leave. “Please let Ladybug, and only her, know what I’ve told you. I look forward to when I am next in London.”

The door opened and as he began to step out Marinette ran over to him, hugging him from behind. “I’ll only tell her if you promise you’ll come back to me, Chaton. She’ll never forgive me for not getting that assurance. And she'll never forgive you for getting yourself killed.”

There was a long pause. “I promise, My Lady.” Marinette let Chat Noir go. He turned to her one last time. “Keep the city safe in my stead, and I’ll be back before you know it,” he said.


	11. Masquerade Ball

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chat Noir attends a ball and runs into a certain classmate.

The night had been fun enough, so far. The best part had been seeing his dance partners realizing that he was the real Chat Noir. He’d noticed a few copycats, after all. Maybe he could try to wrangle them for a picture before he left. It would be a nice memento, and maybe his Lady would like to see it.

There were a few women in Ladybug inspired dresses but after stealing a dance with all of them he found he was sure that she wasn’t actually here. Maybe he should try calling her? A large gathering of people like this was ripe for an akuma attack, surely. He hoped that didn’t happen, though. He would need a good excuse to be late for his meeting with his father, and he wasn’t sure caught up by an akuma at a party he wasn’t supposed to be at would cut it.

Glancing at a clock he decided that he probably had time for one more dance. Now, who would he convince to join him? Adrien started a circuit around the room. And then he saw a face he’d recognize anywhere, even with that mask she wore. Marinette stood in a gorgeous green dress talking to another person, probably Alya, but he wasn’t positive from his vantage point. He started over to them.

“I’m sorry, girl, but I heard that he couldn’t make it.” Definitely Alya, then. Marinette was looking for someone? Who could that be?

When Adrien was close enough for her to notice him Marinette’s eyes widened. He bowed to her, eyes not leaving hers. “I had thought this party couldn’t have been better but I was wrong. The night is infinitely better knowing that you’re here, too, Princess.”

“Chat? You’re here too?”

Alya spun on him. “Big news! Wait, is Ladybug here? A picture of you two all dressed up and dancing together would be great for the Ladyblog!”

Marinette choked on her drink but quickly shook of Adrien’s look of concern. He then put on his grandest pout. “Alas, if My Lady is here then she’s done a wonderful job of hiding from me. But I was hoping that my Princess would be so kind as to join me for one last dance?” He reached out a hand to Marinette and smirked.

She smiled and raised an eyebrow. “I bet you say that to all the girls.”

He held his hand to his heart in feigned shock. “You wound me! You’re my only Princess, just like I only have one Lady. And I really do need to leave soon, villainy never sleeps. Please? Just one dance.”

Marinette looked over at Alya who seemed to be weighing him with her eyes. “I’ll keep an eye on anyone else coming in. Go, girl!” She pulled out her phone out of a pocket in her dress. “But first, I need a picture. You two look cute together. And your dress matches his eyes.” Marinette turned red and then there was a click. Alya turned and waved her phone. “Have fun you two!”

“Well then, Princess. Shall we?” Adrien offered Marinette his arm.

“I suppose we shall.” She took his arm and the two headed onto the dance floor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hadn't realized this was a prompt until after I wrote the No Powers one, but hopefully this is a different enough take on the ball.


	12. Post Reveal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chat Noir has managed to get hurt during an akuma fight. Marinette does some quick first aid.

“Hold still, you stubborn cat!”

“Ouch! Come on, Princess, there’s no need for this!”

“Don’t you ‘Princess’ me.  _ You’re _ the one who did something stupid. Now you have to let me do this.”

“You wouldn’t treat Adrien this way.”

“It’s a good thing you’re transformed, then. And Plagg, if you let him detransform then no camembert for a whole week. Now, this might hurt.”

“Ah! I don’t think my arm is supposed to bend that way!”

“It was bending wrong before. Maybe next time you try to catch a not insignificant chunk of building you use your Cataclysm first.”

“I had to get you out of the way. Besides, the Miraculous Cure should fix me back up.”

“It was very sweet of you to push me out of the way, but I can’t use the Cure until the akuma’s defeated. I don’t want you in that kind of pain until then. What if something else happened to you?”

“Don’t worry, I’ll stay hidden. You go and crush that akuma, Princess.”

“I’ll be back as soon as I can. And then we can have a discussion about tactics and safety. Tikki, spots on!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought it would be fun to try to tell one of these with only dialogue, no descriptions, said bookisms, or anything like that. Definitely not a shortcut to help me get caught up faster. Let me know what you think! The idea for the exercise came from Brandon Sanderson's"I Hate Dragons" story. It's a fun read on his blog.


	13. Villain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette tries to ply information out of a chatty Chat.

Things had been so simple at first. The damn boy had been enough of a flirt that all it took was Marinette to find him out on patrol. She swore to herself that her reasoning had been to find a weakness, something that she could eventually exploit. If nothing else the betrayal of a supposed friend might be enough to throw him off.

But those eyes of his. The concern he would show whenever she told him she had a bad day. How they lit up when he spoke of his friends. She’d seen him roll his eyes and smile when he talked about how pushy his kwami was. Building up the trust to get Chat to divulge the identity of his creature had taken time and so far all she had to show for it was the knowledge that the thing liked camembert?

“—just wish I knew, you know?”  _ Damn _ , Marinette thought,  _ you need to focus when he’s talking. Something might slip. _

“Sorry, Chat, I must have zoned out for a minute there.” She laughed lightly. “What did you want to know?”

“Oh, it was about Ladybug. I wish I knew what her goal is. I mean, all this chaos that she causes? That can’t be what she’s going for.” He looked down at his hands. “Master Fu says that she might be looking for the butterfly Miraculous.” Another Miraculous? How many of the things beyond hers and Chat’s were there? And who was this Master Fu? This was the first time Marinette had heard the name.

“She’s said that she wants your Miraculous, hasn’t she?” The thought of using  _ two _ of them almost made her want to vomit, but it might be the only way.

“Yeah, but if there’s another one out there unaccounted for then it might help her to take mine.” Chat clenched his fist. “And that’s not something I can let happen. She’s strong enough on her own, I don’t want to see her with an ally. But if I knew what she really wanted then maybe I could get her to join me.”

Marinette knew that there wasn’t anything Chat Noir could say to her to get her to give up. The kwami needed to be stopped. But if he wanted to expend effort trying to convert her then she wouldn’t stop him.

Before she could say anything in response, his baton beeped at him. He looked at it and then smiled sadly at her. “I’m sorry, Marinette, but I have to go. Thanks for always being a good listener. I feel like I might have a few new ideas.”

“Go and save the day, kitty cat.” She waved at him as he launched himself away with his baton. This had been quite an interesting conversation. There was someone working with Chat who sounded like he knew at least a fair bit about the Miraculous. He knew where there was at least one more, too. But more importantly than that there was one that he didn’t know the whereabouts of. And given that he thinks she’s looking for it here then it sounds likely that it’s somewhere in Paris.

She might even be able to get Chat Noir to join her. The way he talked about things made it seem like he didn’t know the true nature of the kwami, which also meant that Master Fu didn’t know or just didn’t tell him. She could prod there and see what happened. Carefully so he didn’t suspect her identity, but it could work. And in the meantime, she could acquire a certain lepidopterous assistant.


	14. Found

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chat Noir finds the peacock Miraculous and goes to give it to the most dependable girl he knows.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This will actually be Chapter 15, to keep in line with the days for the prompts. I'm still working on the prompt for day 14 (Angst). When I add that one in I'll switch the order of chapters.

“Wait a minute. What did you say you found?”

Chat took a deep breath. He sounded almost like he sprinted here from wherever he had been. Then he reached into a pocket she didn’t know he had. That was a little unfair, but she supposed that her yo-yo’s hammerspace was easier to deal with. He held a blue brooch towards her. It looked like fan made up of peacock feathers. “I found one of the missing Miraculous!”

Marinette’s eyes widened. The peacock Miraculous? “That’s...great? But why are you here with it? Does Ladybug know you found it?”

He looked a little embarrassed. “I tried calling her but she didn’t answer. But as soon as I had it I thought ‘who’s the most responsible, nicest person I know?’ My Princess!” Chat took one of her hands and placed the brooch in it. “I just know that Ladybug would agree that you’re a great person to have a Miraculous.”

As soon as it touched her hand the kwami appeared. “Gah!” Marinette fell backwards.

“I’m sorry, Princess, I forgot how weird things were at first.” He pointed at the floating blue creature. “This is the kwami of this Miraculous. The kwami are the ones that help us transform.

“Hi there, I’m Duusu! It’s nice to meet you!” She flew very close to Marinette’s face.

“I’m Marinette. It’s, uh, nice to meet you too, Duusu.”

Duusu cocked her head, considering Marinette. Then she turned to where Marinette knew Tikki to be hiding and smiled.  _ Oh no _ .

“Tikki! It’s been so long! How have you been?” There was a high squeak from Tikki's hiding place.

“Tikki?” Chat said. “Who’s that?”

“She’s the kwami of the ladybug Miraculous. Is that not why you brought me here?” Duusu said as she flew back to Chat Noir.

His brow furrowed. “I wanted to introduce you to Marinette. I thought she would be a good choice to wield your Miraculous. Why would the ladybug kwami be...” He gasped. “My Lady?!”

“Oh no,” Marinette said. She covered her face with her hands. “This isn’t how this was supposed to go. I mean, it was never supposed to happen, but if it was going to happen this isn’t how it should have happened. I’m glad we have the peacock Miraculous safe and sound but we really needed to keep our identities secret. What will Master Fu say?” Her words jumbled together as her she grew more panicked.

“Pri...My La...Marinette.” Chat kneeled down and placed his hands on her shoulders. “Marinette, listen to me. Everything’s going to be okay. Besides,” he grinned, “it’s not every day that a boy gets to find out that his two favorite people are actually the same person.” He stood up and his face became serious. “If your identity is revealed it’s only fair that you know who I am too.”

“Wait—”

“Plagg, claws in.”

Marinette covered her eyes again. Partly to shield from the flash of green, partly so she wouldn’t know just who Chat Noir was.

She felt soft, unclawed hands over her own. “If you don’t look I’m just going to tell you who I am.” He laughed and she felt her cheeks redden.

After a calming breath she opened her eyes and her jaw dropped. “Adrien?”

“Surprised?” Adrien shrugged and smiled. “I’ve gotta say that I’m not surprised about your identity. You’re the same wonderful person on both sides of the mask. Honestly I should have figured that out ages ago.”

Marinette jumped up and hugged him. “I guess we’re both lucky today, since I found out that my two favorite boys are actually the same person, too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The idea for this one was sparked by the "duusu early au" from gale-of-the-nomads.tumblr.com, although it goes in a very different direction.


End file.
